Biology 2601A/B Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Enzyme Kinetics, Chemical Bond, Operating Temperature
27 Oct 2014
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Document Summary
Temperature & heat: temperature: a measure of the speed or intensity of the incessant random motions that all the atoms and molecules of any substance undergo on an atomic-molecular scale (how fast are they vibrating). More exactly, the temperature of a substance is proportional to the product of the mean square speed of the random molecular motions and the molecular mass. In other words, temperature is the intensity of motion by the atoms in the object. Temperature affects everything in an organism, including its growth, metabolism, enzyme kinetics, membrane fluidity, etc. Temperature is one of the primary limits on species distribution, as there are a wide variety of temperatures across the globe. Humans are able to adapt to a variety of different temperatures, so we can live nearly anywhere in the world through manipulation of our environment. However, most other organisms are unable to do this. Temperature determines the direction of heat transfer (warm -> cool).
